#no wonder i like Wesley sm

[movedto-mrs-bluemarine]

THEY'RE LITERALLY THE SAME PERSON???

Not only are they the same age and have v similar personalities.... Wes is commonly used as a nickname fur Wesley....

[prose-for-hire]

hey, saw that your requests were open for halloween! first of all I'd like to say that I absolutely adore your writing, you always nail the personality of the characters you are writing and the "reader" is always delightful.

that said, I'd like to request a Wesley halloween fic, (maybe in a au universe where Connor never got taken away and Wesley never had a fallout with the team) where Wesley and reader go with little Connor (or a small kid of their own), to trick or treat and some real monster hunting shenanigans ensue.

thanks for considering!

Thank you sm lovely !! Such a big compliment I really appreciate this! 💖

(Mention of potentially having kids together no mention of pregnancy/etc)

Here we go! I did a little mini ficlet for this one, hope that’s okay! Cordy is still around as well 🦇

You were at your desk, yawning when he arrived. Wes had and uncharacteristic day off and he had been given a very specific instruction.

Judging by the bag he had managed to get what you had asked for. You grinned, getting up and launching yourself at him and giving him an all encompassing hug.

You had been together for a few years now. You loved him deeply.

“Could I steal your baby?” Wesley asked and you smiled softly. He looked a little awkward at the way he had phrased it but you squeezed his shoulder comfortingly.

“Sorry!?” Angel almost spat out his blood all over you.

“We want to borrow Connor for a very special human tradition.” You explained.

“No”

“Well, you don’t exactly know what it is yet”

“If it’s trick or treating Cordelia already asked and the answer’s no”

“But… look!” You took out a tiny pumpkin costume with an even tinier hat that acted like the stalk.

“It would be cruel not to, really” Wesley agreed, sliding his hand around your shoulder and you both smiled slightly too sweetly to try and convince your boss.

Angel rolled his eyes and thankfully agreed. You both pretended not to see Angel as he tailed you both. You knocked on people’s doors and said “trick or treat!” And pointed out different costumes to Connor and made him laugh so he didn’t get scared.

Wesley was always a little apprehensive when knocking and you found it very cute. There was something slightly awkward about asking for something from stranger’s even though he liked the tradition. Especially because you did.

There was something so domestic about it. Watching Wes carrying Connor and holding his little hand made you smile wide.

After a while, you took him, swapping the massive bag of candy (that you would help Connor out with) for the sweet baby. He watched you closely, how gentle you were with him. How loving.

“I adore this”

“Hm?” You asked distractedly as you cuddled Connor, stroking his head.

“Seeing you with Connor”

“Maybe we should have our own little pumpkin one day” you said softly. You had said it so casually but your heart was racing. You had never really discussed that sort of thing. Your future together.

You loved him. You truly did.

When you looked up from Connor’s head you saw the look in his eyes. The glistening. The wonder.

He wanted nothing else.

He had never thought about his future past being a Watcher. Once he didn’t have that anymore it had been very difficult to see a future for himself.

Until there was you.

He was about to say something. To tell you how he felt.

But he saw something. His demon hunting senses attuned to the area. Angel had seen it too.

It was small, but mean. It was running in the shadows. Circling the three of you.

You recognised it. A gremlin. Crap.

This kind ate babies. And it was coming your way.

“Wes! Quick!”

“I believe a trick is in order” he shouted, whipping out a weapon that you were still unsure where he had been keeping it. Wes swung and left it reeling.

But it was clearly hungry as it charged towards you more determined this time, slashing at your kneecaps.

“You’re not making pumpkin pie out of Connor!” You shouted, kicking at the demon and cradling the baby out of its reach.

Angel ran in growling at the gremlin. For something so small it was very difficult to catch. The two of them kept trying to catch it while you kept the demon out of harm’s reach.

But you lost your footing, tripping, making a strange face as you braced yourself for a fall and screeching. Which made Connor laugh. Suddenly the gremlin stopped covering its ears and cowering. It didn’t like babies laughter. It pained the demon. Weakened it.

You kept making funny faces and Connor kept laughing as Wes joined in beside you. His hands cradling you both as if he wanted to hold you, protect you from the whole world. You made Connor laugh until it was safe. Until Angel had removed the threat.

It was certainly an eventful Halloween. And Wes held you a little closer that night when you slid into bed beside him, your arms firmly wrapped around his body. You slid into a deep sleep long after he managed to find the right words to tell you just how much he wanted a family with you.

[solo-ojo-jojo]

Ch 2: Chenford Fanfic: 𝘐 𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘠𝘰𝘶

The Rookie Fanfiction | Chenford | Chapter 2 of 4 | 6.3K | Rated T | Alternate Universe | Meet Cute | Neighbor AU | First Date

Story summary: A series of meet-cutes that keep bringing Lucy and Tim together in an alternate universe.

Chapter summary:

“What–What are you doing here?”

“I just moved in. Building six.”

“Building five,” she replied, giving a tilt of her head toward her own apartment.

“What are the odds?” he asked her, a look of wonderment on his face.

“I don’t know,” she smiled, shaking her head. “But I’m not going to argue with it.”

𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋

Lucy and Tim meet again and go on a date.

Read an excerpt below the gif, or read chapter 2 on AO3!

Lucy was unloading groceries from her car when she heard a familiar voice.

“Lucy?”

She stilled as she tried to place the voice, then looked up to find the face of the man she had been daydreaming about for the past two weeks.

“Tim?” Lucy tilted her head as she looked at him, not believing her eyes. He was just two parking spaces away, keys still in his hand, and a messenger bag slung across his shoulder. “I almost didn’t recognize you without your suspenders and axe.” 

He laughed. That deep, soulful laugh that she had heard several times on the night they met.

“What–What are you doing here?”

“I just moved in. Building six.”

“Building five,” she replied, giving a tilt of her head toward her own apartment.

“What are the odds?” he asked her, a look of wonderment on his face.

“I don’t know,” she smiled, shaking her head. “But I’m not going to argue with it.”

“You’re the expert. So I’m inclined to agree,” he said, flashing his charming smile at her once more.

The way he looked at her told her that he not only remembered, but understood, what her job was about. Most people forgot her “boring” job. It was just one more reason she thought that Tim was different from most people she met.

Lucy shifted her weight to balance the grocery bags in her arms. 

“Can I carry one of those for you?” Tim asked.

“Oh. Um, yeah. Of course,” she said, her hands brushing against his as she settled a bag into his arms. She was used to doing it herself, but she wasn’t about to turn down his offer. “Most of the time, I’m too stubborn to make more than one trip. A remnant, I guess, from when I lived on the third floor with no elevator.”

“Ah, yes. I know exactly what you mean. Although when I lived a few floors up, I usually bought fewer groceries at a time. On the one hand, it was my budget. On the other, it was because I had to stash the stuff I really liked outside of the common area. Or else it might go ‘missing.’”

“No!” Lucy laughed, turning her key in the lock. “Wesley and Darrin?” She hit the light switch and continued toward the small kitchen.

“No, they were pretty good roommates. It was Trevor. Our other roommate. When he wasn’t crashing at his girlfriend’s place, that is.” He followed her into the apartment that was a mirror image of his own and set the bag of groceries down beside the others. “He never admitted to it, but he could not have been more obvious.”

Tim started unbagging the groceries, setting them on the counter as Lucy zig-zagged between the kitchen and pantry, putting the items in the correct places while they talked about their bad roommate experiences. 

Lucy finished putting away the box of penne Tim had handed her and leaned her elbows on the counter behind her, taking him in. He was folding her reusable grocery bags—well, folding and refolding one in particular that was supposed to fold into a pocket on the bag itself.

“Are you all moved in?”

“Not quite. All the big stuff is in place. But I’ve still got a lot of boxes to unpack. I thought I had gotten rid of enough things before the move, but there’s nothing like going from a house to an apartment to make you realize you need to downsize.”

She reached for the bag he was trying to fold. “Here, let me,” she said. “This one folds in on itself and it’s kinda tricky until you get the hang of it.” She took the bag and smoothed it out on the counter before beginning to fold it. “Why are you downsizing? I mean, if you don’t mind my asking.” 

“I don’t mind,” he said quietly. He wasn’t the type to share details about his personal life, and especially with someone he barely knew. But he wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell her anything she wanted to know, and not just so he could keep their conversation going. “I was, uh, divorced recently.”

Lucy turned her attention away from the bag for just a moment. Her eyes recognized the look on Tim’s face as one of someone recalling a painful experience, but she remained silent and kept folding the bag as she listened.

“I couldn’t justify staying there. Too much space for just me. But I think a fresh start might be just what I needed. Help put distance between then and now… After everything was finalized, the house sold almost as soon as it went on the market, and here I am.”

“And here you are.” Lucy gave him a small smile. 

“Looks like a nice complex. And at least I know there’s one friendly face nearby.”

________________________________

Read on AO3

Gif credits: Top & middle gifs by @tim-lucy. Original posts here and here Bottom gif by @whitefluffyyeti. Original post here

[flowersintheattic254]

is that actually the same hat??? if m really had the audacity/stupidity to wear ben's hat for her pathetic pap photoshoot and then ben went and blew up her spot on instagram i'd die laughing

Hello Anon - and thanks for the ask.  Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Sadly from the photographs X  I don’t think it’s exactly the same hat.  The writing appears a little different on the front, but it’s without doubt a very similar style, black, bulky, gold writing and I think a very deliberate choice by Ben to make a point as he often does during heavy bearding. 

The interesting thing is when the Daily M referred to M’s hat X on the 12 Feb they called it a trucker hat.  Who can forget the quote below.

I checked B’s IG account again this morning and I think there is ONLY one other pic on B’s IG with a hat like this. He’s usually dapper and this is not his usual style so you wonder why he made that particular choice.  I found an interesting addition to his post last night on checking his account this morning.

If you look at the his comment on the bottom right in response wesley clouden you can see quite clearly  ‘just the trucker cap’.  

That’s not a coincidence - a similar style hat and a deliberate reference to M and the DM article.  Make no mistake B references her a lot on SM, (the truck purchasing was recent and blatant - maybe that’s the reason for the trucker hats and they are laughing about it - who knows)?

I do wonder why B does this so blatantly again and again because there are other posts like this.  Jealously? must be hard to watch your GF pose for paps, doing duck kisses with a man she’s trapped.  

Idk - I assume among all this circus B is someone not trapped by NDA’s or contracts.  He has the power to change the situation unlike D so I wish he’d just ‘go get his girl’ instead of making these passive agressive posts on social media about a situation he clearly isn’t happy in and give everyone including D their freedom from this mess.   

Just my thoughts anon.

[livironheart]

Origins

(( OOC note: This story takes place just before the first RP I ever did on Olivier! It took me far too long to write, but it hasn’t been heavily edited so I apologize for any glaring errors. ))

Olivier could hear Heather’s ragged breathing to her right and flashed a warning look at the woman. Putting a finger to her lips, her amber gaze bored imploringly into the blonde. You’re going to ruin this.

Heather flashed Liv her middle finger in return, then looked down again, blue eyes sweeping over the building from up in the rafters. She didn’t dare speak, but she would have had some harsh words for the apprentice if she did.

Olivier’s glare only hardened, but like the rogue, she held her tongue. On the other side of the building, she spotted the other two members of her group settled comfortably in place, as they’d been for well over an hour now. There was Jared, lean and tall with his tousled black hair and bright gaze, and next to him sat Matthias, looking as shaggy and unkempt as ever. Liv briefly wondered how often Matthias actually bathed, but she was jerked suddenly from her thoughts by the creak of the barn door opening.

Light crept through the opening across the floor, followed by footsteps. It was a heavier man that entered, followed by two night elves, one of them holding a small bundle wrapped in linen. Curiosity drove Olivier to look closer at the item, attempting to discern its shape through the cloth. She leaned forward, the rafter creaking beneath her weight, and Heather shot out an arm in front of her to stop her from going any further, giving her a pointed look that jolted her back to her senses. She lifted her gaze to Matthias, who was holding a hand up in the air, signaling for the group to wait. Jared was looking at him as if he’d lost his mind, but the disheveled man shook his head and pointed with his other hand down to the conversation that was now happening between the newcomers.

“Maybe they’re not coming,” a feminine voice spoke up. It was one of the night elves, carefully surveying the room. Luckily for the group in the rafters, she forgot entirely to look up.

“I always get to the meeting locations early,” the man in front grumbled in reply. “Of course they’re coming.” He glanced over to the elf who held the wrapped bundle. “Give it to me, Kalduron.”

Clearing his throat, Kalduron handed the object over. Four pairs of eyes from above followed the movement closely, watching the man in front begin to unwrap the linen at an agonizingly slow pace.

Olivier sucked in a breath, the name finally surfacing in her memory. Shaw Harrison. He was their leader, but that was the extent of what she knew. She suspected that Matthias had hidden information from her, but it probably wasn’t important. He was a thief, he was a criminal. The mage felt a sinking feeling in the pit of stomach.

We’re criminals, too.

Beside her, Heather leaned forward as the item underneath the cloth was finally revealed, then fell back again with a nearly silent sigh. It was a silver chain necklace, and dangling from it was a beautifully crafted sapphire pendant. It was elegant and expensive-looking, but it wasn’t magical. Olivier didn’t blame the woman for her disappointment. They had been expecting some exciting and powerful artifact, not something so.. useless. And here they were, risking their necks for it.

No, it must be worth it. Maybe it belonged to someone important. Nobles love that stuff.

The blonde elbowed Olivier’s ribs suddenly and the mage glanced up irritably, biting back a scathing remark when she saw Matthias lowering his hand and nodding to Jared. The black-haired rogue reached into a pouch at his waist, fingers curling around a smoke bomb. He raised his arm and aimed carefully. Heather, Olivier, and Matthias leaned forward, bracing themselves to leap down. Then Jared launched the bomb forward, smoke erupting in a huge cloud upon contact.

Olivier immediately leapt into action, rolling on the hay-covered floor as she landed to assist in easing the impact. Getting to her feet, she wrapped her hand around the hilt of a dagger and unsheathed it, searching for a target - and hesitated. One sharp, feminine voice rang out through the commotion, but was quickly cut off.

“It’s a set-up! We were t-”

By the time the smoke settled, everything had stilled. The two night elves were dead already, fresh blood pooling from their corpses while their lifeless eyes lay fixed upon the ceiling. Heather stood between them with an expression of contempt etched across her features, and Olivier and Jared stood together off to the side. Everything had gone according to plan - or so she thought, until her gaze landed on Matthias who stood behind Shaw, a dagger to the man’s throat. Before them, the sapphire pendant and its chain glittered invitingly on the floor. Jared stepped forward, his hand wrapping around the gem as he picked it up.

“What can you tell me about this amulet, mister Shaw?” Matthias questioned in a deathly quiet voice.

The man’s gaze darted around, searching for any kind of escape as he took in the situation, and everything that had happened in less than a minute. He suddenly became aware that he was no longer in control, that death for him was a real possibility. “We had a deal,” he whispered helplessly.

“I’m not your buyer,” Matthias replied evenly. “Your buyer’s got more important things to do. Now tell me about this.. item.” He pushed the blade a centimeter closer.

“You shouldn’t be messing with things you know nothing about, then,” Shaw whispered urgently. “Put it away. It’s dark magic, it is.”

Olivier’s eyes met Jared’s as he stepped back beside her, holding the amulet. This wasn’t part of the plan. Matthias was just supposed to kill him.

Whether or not he understood the look, the rogue only shrugged and looked ahead uncomfortably. Though neither of them wanted to admit it, they hadn’t been comfortable killing the traders - and each knew the other hadn’t lifted a finger during the attack. Heather crossed her arms, peering at the both of them through narrowed eyes. She’d killed the elves all on her own; she knew they hadn’t helped.

“Dark magic?” Matthias questioned. “That sounds awfully ominous. You want to tell me more? Maybe I’ll let you live if you do.”

“Mind control,” Shaw sputtered out immediately. “The wearer - the person who wields it has that power. It’s in the stone. It’s not to be trifled with.”

Olivier suddenly snapped to attention at that, feeling a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. So it did have a use other than looking pretty.

Matthias’s gaze darkened. “I see,” he said evenly, slicing his dagger in a rapid line across Shaw’s throat. With no time to react or even utter any last words, the man fell to the floor, quickly bleeding out. It wasn’t a merciful end by any means, but he wouldn’t have to suffer long.

Jared couldn’t fight back the small sound of dismay that escaped past his lips. “You said you’d let him live,” he protested.

“I said maybe,” Matthias growled back, wiping the blood off of his dagger. “Our orders were to kill, you know this.”

“And yet he didn’t,” Heather chirped. “Neither did Olivier. They didn’t do a thing.”

Matthias sighed heavily, shaking his head. “They did all the survey work. It’s fine, I don’t care. Let’s just go get paid.”

A few hours later, the four had disposed of the bodies, cleaned themselves up, and arrived back in Stormwind. Matthias led the way to the harbor, a troubled expression on his face.

“I’m just saying,” Jared was protesting. “Maybe Wes isn’t the right person to be holding something like this. Who knows what he could do with it?”

“Remember that you work for him,” Heather snapped. “It’s not our job to question things, it’s just our job to carry out his orders. He wanted the damn jewelry, now he’s getting it. And we’re getting gold, you see?”

“Right,” Olivier mumbled. “No wonder it’s such a rich reward, though.”

“It’ll probably just get sold and resold until a noble puts it in a case and hangs it in their mansion,” Matthias returned encouragingly. He held up a hand to signal an end to the current conversation, leading the way up the gangplank and onto Wesley’s ship. It wasn’t long before they encountered their boss standing above a table, his gaze sweeping over a map laid out before him. Matt cleared his throat.

“Back already?” Wesley asked, turning to face the four he’d sent to the barn. “That’s either a very good sign or a very bad sign.”

“It’s a good sign,” Heather replied, gesturing for Jared to hand over the amulet. The rogue reluctantly stepped forward, dropping the sapphire into Wesley’s outstretched palm.

The pirate gave a wicked grin as he examined the stone, then looped the chain over his neck, the gem settling against his chest. “I’m pleased to hear it.” He tugged a drawer open and withdrew four equally large drawstring pouches, tossing one to each member of the group. “Now, let’s talk about your next task.”

So quick, so down to business. As if he wasn’t wearing an item with such sinister power. Olivier’s expression soured, but she held her tongue. Matthias offered a nod, settling against one of the crates against the wall.

Wesley clicked his tongue, gesturing to the map in front of him. “I have a tip that there are some people planning to intercept our next slave shipment,” he started. “I need you to take them out before they can.” He pointed to a certain spot on the map, but suddenly none of the four were listening to him. Instead, all the color had drained from their faces. It took Wesley several seconds to notice and irritably snapped, “What?”

It was Olivier who spoke first. “Did you say slave shipment?” she asked quietly.

“Yes,” Wes growled dangerously, clearly unhappy with being questioned. “Do you have a problem with that, rogue?”

Jared, Heather, and Matthias tensed.

“I do,” Olivier replied tersely. And she thrust an arm forward, launching a rapid pyroblast directly at Wesley’s chest.

He was dead in seconds.

The pirate fell smoldering to the floor, and for what seemed like an agonizingly long time, the others simply stood in shocked silence. Suddenly, all of them spoke at once.

“Did you just-”

“You have magic?!”

“You idiot! What have you done?!” It was Heather’s voice that screeched above the rest. Unafraid of the new power her associate had shown, she stepped forward and pinned Olivier against the wall of the cabin, having already drawn her dagger. “You betrayed us! You killed our boss! You killed the Captain! What the fuck are we supposed to do now, huh? We’ll have the entire crew after our heads, we’ll have the-”

“Heather, stop!” It was Matthias who had interrupted, laying his hands upon the woman’s shoulders. Olivier’s wide amber eyes slowly met his brown ones. She’d had no idea she had it in her to make in attack like that. It had just.. happened.

“She’s ruined everything!” Heather snarled in protest, pushing her blade closer to the skin. “And now we’re all out of jobs. Why, because it was slaves? Is that what tipped you off? Is that what made your poor emotions go crazy? You can’t kill anyone when you’re supposed to, but the second it suits you, you’re all for it! What kind of warped morality is that?!”

“Shhh!” Jared cut in finally. “No one knows yet. No one’s here, there’s no alarm. No one knows any of us can cast spells. All we have to do is take our payment and leave.”

Olivier narrowed her eyes in defiance, focusing on Heather again. “I will not work for someone who keeps slaves,” she dared to breathe back. “I will not hesitate to take every bastard out of this world who does. Those who deny liberty to others don’t deserve their own miserable existence.”

“Heather,” Matthias urged. “Listen to Jared. We can leave with a free pass, okay? I’m not working for a slaver either.”

The woman continued to stare at Liv, her pale blue eyes narrowing to chips of ice. “Fine,” she hissed at long last, stepping back and releasing the mage. She shot an additional glare at Jared, then ignored Matt and stormed out of the cabin, leaving the ship soon after. The other three stood in silence for a long moment.

“Thank you,” Jared said finally, shoving his payment into his pocket. “If you hadn’t acted, I would have done so myself.”

“Same here,” Matthias murmured, earning him a look of mild surprise from both of the others. “If he can stomach keeping slaves, who knows what he would have done with that amulet?”

As if on cue, they all looked to Wesley’s corpse, and the sapphire that lay atop his chest. The necklace looked pristine and completely untouched, an unsettling difference to the charred skin and clothing. Looks were exchanged, and it wasn’t hard to discern what the other was thinking.

“Jared should have it,” Olivier and Matthias said simultaneously.

“What?” The rogue leaned back, shaking his head. “I don’t want it. It’s evil. Using it would be just as bad as slavery. It’s a restriction of liberty just the same.”

“That’s why you should have it,” Olivier insisted. “You won’t use it maliciously.”

“But you should take it. You’re the one who killed him.”

She shook her head. “I know myself too well. The power would be.. tempting.”

Matthias nodded in understanding. “And the money would be tempting for me. I wouldn’t ever have to work again if I sold that thing for real. He’s the only one of us who would deserve it.”

“Well, if you’re sure…” Jared mumbled, shifting uncomfortably. He leaned down, quickly snapping open the clasp to pick up the necklace before the heat from the body burned him. Unsettled by the sight, he averted his gaze as he stashed the sapphire in his other pocket.

“We’d better get going before someone comes snooping,” Matt sighed, stepping out of the room. “See you around, you two. Be careful out there.”

As soon as he was gone, Olivier met Jared’s gaze once more. She clutched her pouch of gold close to her chest, as it was likely the only payment she’d get for a while. She had to find a new job. “Be safe,” she said. “And here’s to hoping we find better people to work for.”

“Here’s hoping,” he mumbled back, forcing a weak smile. Ignoring the stench from the corpse, he quickly left after the others, leaving Olivier alone.

Casting one last solemn look around the room, the pyromancer finally left as well, ghosting along the streets. She knew what the first use of her gold would be: a drink.

It didn’t take her long to settle down in the tavern on the other end of the city, yawning as she leaned back. She enjoyed the spot underneath the staircase and the privacy that the shadows offered. The cider was excellent, and she was pleased she could actually afford the good kind for once. She shifted suddenly as a bright-looking young man entered the building, ordered a massive meal, and wandered over to her table, a smile on his face.

“Mind if I sit here?”

[marybromley]

Brian Minter: Science World balcony garden exhibit offers connection to growing food

Leanne Johnson, one of the owners of Garden Works, called to tell me about an exciting garden venture — a partnership project involving Life Space Gardens, Garden Works and Science World.

I knew immediately this would be interesting. With two good garden-related companies involved, the gardening part was easy to understand … but Science World?

I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Scott Sampson, the current chairman of this amazing B.C. icon of science. So is Science World into gardening?

“We’ve always been very inclusive at Science World, trying to connect science to everything in people’s lives,” Sampson said.

“In 2017, however, we began a strategic planning process based on the question: Over the next generation, what pressing social role should Science World serve for our community?”

Children connect easily to plants and nature.

To help determine the way forward, they facilitated listening sessions with many groups, as well as one-on-one interviews with over 1400 people from across B.C., including their staff, volunteers and community stakeholders.

Some key themes emerged, such as equity, ecological sustainability, community collaboration and a focus on the future.

There was also a strong sentiment for Science World to address the urgent issues between science and society, as well as the importance of directing education in the key areas of science, technology, engineering and math.

As a result of this process, Science World’s mission statement is: Through science and nature, we ignite wonder and empower dreams.

Their vision is: Within a generation, Canada will be a country of thriving, sustainable communities rooted in scientific literacy, technological innovation and a deep connection to nature.

Their five core values are curiosity, playfulness, inclusivity, relevancy and collaboration.

I find it quite amazing that these goals align so well with the Rooted Together in Nature initiative, as reported by the Garden Media Group in their 2019 Garden Trends Report for North America.

Sampson was adamant that we can learn more about nature through science, and he observed that gardening makes a powerful connection with the minds of young children because it engages the natural world in ways that few other endeavours can.

Thus the balcony garden exhibit was born.

Wouldn’t it be nice to see all those balconies filled with containers growing food?

“Because we are not experts in gardening, we reached out to both Garden Works and Life Space Gardens for their help. At Science World, we love collaborative partnerships. We thought food gardening was highly relevant, and it was a way to engage people into the world of nature and growing food. All food comes from nature.”

“At Science World, we are surrounded by hundreds of balconies towering above us, and we thought, wouldn’t it be great to see some food gardening on all these balconies?

“We think we’re the perfect location for inspiring this connection to gardening. It’s interesting to see that kids, who generally come with their parents, are easily connected to plants and they often motivate their parents to do some gardening, even if it’s in a container.”

“We stared this process last year, and are hoping to make it even better this year. It’s important for kids to get their hands dirty, and in today’s world that’s a rare occurrence. The process of them learning to grow plants and to nurture them is very important. It is one of the best ways to connect them to nature.”

The exhibit is located in the Ken Spencer Science Park, where it is also easy to connect to the outdoors with interactive exhibits. North Vancouver’s Life Space Gardens president and co-founder Wesley Hooper was thrilled to work in partnership with Science World.

Efficient watering systems are available to help maintain container gardens.

Hooper says his firm has helped over 500 folks with their urban gardens, and they have great expertise in creating successful garden outcomes because of their A to Z approach. He’s very proud of their own design of a self-watering planter system, making container gardens easier to maintain. Life Space Gardens designed, built and installed everything in the Science World display.

Garden Works supplied all the garden materials from soil to plants, as well as accessories like nutrients. Hooper mentioned that he liked West Coast Seed varieties for food plants because they perform well in the Vancouver area. He also like the Tried & True organic vegetables available from Garden Works.

By thinking creatively, balcony gardens can grow a range of food varieties.

Johnson said Garden Works was excited to work with Science World because they share similar roles and goals of connecting plants to people.

Garden Works is also supplying followup support with on-site advice and seminars. They have also created a similar garden at the Burnaby store on Lougheed Highway to further help the community to connect to and engage in food gardening.

The great thing about this project is the collaborative approach to provide a connection to growing food and to engage young people in this important activity. I particularly appreciate Science World’s new mission and their vision and values.

By thinking creatively, balcony gardens can grow a range of food varieties.

Related

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Brian Minter: Science World balcony garden exhibit offers connection to growing food published first on https://weedkillerguide.tumblr.com/